Carlos Edwards

Infobox Football biography
playername = Carlos Edwards


fullname = Carlos Akenhaton Edwards
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|10|24|df=yes
cityofbirth = Diego Martin
countryofbirth = Trinidad and Tobago
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub = Wolverhampton Wanderers
(on loan from Sunderland)
clubnumber = 24
position = Right winger
nickname=
years = 1996–1998 1998 1999–2000 2000–2005 2005–2007 2007–
2008–
clubs = Patna United Queen's Park Defence Force Wrexham Luton Town
Sunderland
→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)
caps(goals) = 00? 0(?) 00? 0(?) 00? 0(?) 165 (23) 068 0(8)
029 0(5)
001 0(0)
nationalyears = 1999–
nationalteam = Trinidad and Tobago
nationalcaps(goals) = 064 0(2)
pcupdate = 5 October 2008
ntupdate = 2 October 2008

Carlos Akenhaton Edwards (born 24 October 1978 in Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Trinidadian football player. He is currently on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers from Sunderland.

Club career

Edwards, a right-winger also adept at right-back, started his professional career at Defence Force in his native Trinidad and Tobago, where he had attended the same school (St Anthony's College in Westmoorings) as future team-mate Kenwyne Jones. [cite news| title =Football- Soca Warriors 2005|url = http://stanthonystt.info/content/football-soca-warriors-2005|publisher = St Anthonys] He was later signed by Wrexham for £250,000 in 2000, along with Dennis Lawrence and Hector Sam, after a successive trial.

He helped the club win promotion to the Second Division in 2002/03, scoring 10 goals and winning Wrexham’s Player of the Year award and being selected for the PFA Third Division Team of the Year along the way. [cite news | title = Carlos Edwards | url = http://www.lutonfc.com/playerprofile.asp?PlayerID=144 | publisher = Lutonfc.com] He then added a further five goals the following season as the club finished mid-table, with Edwards again voted into the PFA Team of the Year.

However, he suffered a knee injury while on international duty in 2004 that put him on the sidelines for most of the 2004/05 season. The campaign ended in relegation for the club but Edwards did win his first silverware in English football in the form of the 2005 Football League Trophy.

With his Wrexham contract having expired, Edwards joined Championship side Luton Town in 2005 in a three-year deal on a Bosman transfer. [cite news | title = Edwards poised to sign for Luton | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wrexham/4556373.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 2005-05-17] At Luton, he became popular with the fans with his flair and ability, winning the Young Members Player of the Season award for a strong first season with the club. [cite news | title = Carlos Edwards | url = http://www.lutonfc.com/playerprofile.asp?PlayerID=144 | publisher = Lutonfc.com]

Edwards' form attracted a £1.5 million bid from Sunderland whom he joined on 2 January 2007, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. [cite news
title = Sunderland sign Edwards for £1.5m | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/6226291.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 2007-01-02] Edwards began his Sunderland career brightly and netted 5 times in the remainder of the campaign. It was his spectacular 80th-minute winner against Burnley that confirmed Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League, after Derby failed to beat Crystal Palace the following day.

His first season in the top flight was ruined by injury problems though. He suffered a hamstring injury in only the second game and after returning, had a leg fracture that again put him on the sidelines. He managed to return for the final months of the campaign that saw Sunderland retain their Premier League status.

After a spree of summer signings left Edwards largely out of contention at his parent club, he joined Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2008 on a three-month loan. [cite news
title = Wolves complete Edwards loan deal | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wolverhampton_wanderers/7648400.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 2008-10-02]

International career

Edwards made his international debut for the Trinidad and Tobago national team on 5 June 1999 against Grenada in the 1999 Caribbean Cup, despite never having appeared at any youth level for his country before. [cite news
title = Carlos Akenhaton Edwards
url = http://www.socawarriors.net/mens-senior-team/player-pool.html?view=playerprofile&id=131
publisher = Socawarriors.net]

After playing his part in winning that tournament, he went on to become an established international and was part of the team that reached the World Cup Finals for the first team in the country's history and was duly selected for the squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played every minute of their participation during the competition, against Sweden, England and Paraguay, respectively.

Edwards plays alongside fellow Trinidad and Tobago internationals Dwight Yorke and Kenwyne Jones at Sunderland.

References

External links

*soccerbase|20920|Carlos Edwards
* [http://www.socawarriors.net/mens-senior-team/player-pool.html?view=playerprofile&id=131 Carlos Edwards Profile] on the Soca Warriors Online website